Here’s an example of flying on the step

There are several articles written about flying an airplane on the step. The articles I’ll reference are from the past decade and current year, and are valuable contributions to help us better understand flying – in level cruise flight.

In November 2000, Linda Pendleton published “Aviation Myths, Getting on the Step.” She shares a good story about a pilot named Joe, who like other old-timers, would swear to her about a technique that could get a few extra knots out of their Cessna, Cherokee or Mooney. In the article, Linda asks Joe to show her. So, they take off and fly south from Chicago Midway airport over the local farmlands to begin the demonstration.

First attempt, flying on the step

Joe selected a VFR altitude of 3,500 feet MSL for the test. He climbed to 3,800 MSL and leveled the airplane. He then reduced the power to the cruise setting and immediately began a descent. Joe leveled the plane at 3,500 feet and asked Linda to note indicated airspeed.

Second attempt, flying on the step

Joe reduced the power and descended to 2,000 feet. After he established cruise configuration at 2,000 feet, he pushed the throttle in, raised the nose, and began another climb to 3,500. This time, at exactly 3,500 feet MSL, Joe pulled the power back to the cruise setting and pushed the nose over to the level attitude. Joe pointed out that the indicated airspeed was now about 10 miles per hour slower than in the first test. Linda saw the error and proceeded with the third attempt.

Third attempt, flying on the step

They did the test again. This time they climbed to 3,500 feet and pushed the nose over to level attitude. As the plane accelerated they adjusted trim. Finally, when cruise speed was reached, they “reduced the power to the cruise setting, and, voilà,” they saw the same speed Joe had accomplished by flying the plane “onto the step” from above.

Pilot Observations

Experienced pilots can and do err in establishing best performance for level cruise flight.

Best cruise performance can be established by flying either from above or below into the selected cruise altitude.

Linda doesn’t expilcate variables that may affect the setup procedure when climbing into cruise flight from below.

Will the same procedure consistently work when flying from below into cruise or will you need to vary the technique? A Cirrus SR22TN Turbo may require up to 2 minutes at full power to pull the plane into level cruise flight. Here are some variables related to flying a Cirrus SR22 in the flight levels:

How long should you leave in full power to establish best cruise flight?

With Joe’s technique of descending into the selected altitude some of these variables are eliminated.

Okay, I realize a few of these items may not apply to older planes or those flying in single digit altitudes. And, if your plane only shows miles per hour then calculating True Airspeed (TAS) may not be an easy task.

Next week, another article written about flying on the step will be reviewed.

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wikiWings

Jeff Brewer is an entrepreneur, pilot and aviation writer. He's the Founder of wikiWings with the Vision of connecting aviators so they can lower their cost of general aviation flying.
He’s enjoyed flying for over 20 years and has more than 1,600 hours of flight time in piston engine aircraft; including Turbo Cirrus SR22TN-G3 Perspective, Cessna 152, 172, 182; Piper Warrior, Archer, Arrow and Aztec.
He has been a member of Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association since 1992 and a member in several aviation type clubs.
The author’s current home base is Houston, Texas.